Tackle preschool at home with these weekly preschool plans for working parents and busy families. These preschool at home plans are simple, they use things you probably have around your house or can get easily even during social distancing, and I will walk you through each activity. One activity a day won’t replace preschool but not because of the academics your child is missing, because of the social interaction they are. Young children are social beings, and they learn through social interaction. Spend as much time playing with them as you can, focus on their and your emotional well being, and do one simple learning activity a day. If you have more time, do more, I have links to more ideas, but if you are struggling, do what you can. This isn’t a time to push yourself or your child, be gentle, and focus on connection.
For more simple ideas, check out the previous week’s plans by clicking the links below.
How To Use Lunch Break Learning Weekly Preschool At Home Plan.
- Look over this week’s plan. Take a screenshot and save it to your phone, or if you have a printer, print it out.
- Read through the activity details. Take note of the “Make it harder/ make it easier” tips.
- Prep the activities either the night before or one big prep Sunday night. This won’t take long.
- Know you can do this. It’s going to be OK.
- Come back every Saturday for the next eight weeks to get your free plan.
Preschool At Home Activity Plan – April 27th – May 3rd
PRINT HERE
Preschool Plan – Activity Details
This list includes affiliate links.
Play Dough Letters
Grab some play dough and start making letters, can your child make their first initial? If you have letter stamps or cookie cutters, go get them and add them in for more fun!
Make it easier -> Make X’s and Os rolling out the playdough is beneficial all on its own, don’t fret if they aren’t ready to make letters.
Make it harder -> Make or write sight words in the playdough with letter stamps or by forming the letters. Find sight words here.
Stuffed Animal Line Up By Height
Use, what you have is the name of the game for these preschool plans, and this activity exemplifies that. Grab 5-10 of your child’s stuffed animals and talk a little about how they look. Talk about their colors, their textures, which animals they are. Then ask if they can help you line them up by size, starting with the smallest. Line them up by size, try to use words like longest, shortest, taller, and shorter.
If your child isn’t the stuffed animal aficionado that mine is, no worries. Use anything for this; shoes, books, socks…
Make it easier -> Use stuffed animals that are obviously different in lengths, use only 5.
Make it harder –> Use a measuring tape to measure each toy and write down the length before placing them in the line.
Lunch Restaurant
Turn lunchtime into pretend play. Pretend play is vital for young children because it allows them to work through big ideas and practice social roles they aren’t quite ready for. Pretending to be at a restaurant brings more than just pretend play into your lunch break, it can also bring literacy in too. Get a small note pad or post-it notes and a pencil, make a simple menu on a piece of paper and assign roles. If your child is the waiter, give them the pad to take your order and give you a receipt and have fun.
Make it easier -> Use a simple menu and focus on the conversation and pretend play.
Make it harder -> Put dollar amounts on your menu, make some pretend money, and add in a little math lesson as you pay for your lunch, and your child tally’s the bill!
Tell Stories with Family Photos
Get snuggly and scroll through those photos on your phone together. Ask your child to tell you about different photos that are likely to get them talking. Special events, birthday parties, family trips. This is a great time to talk about the things and people we miss being at home. Kids are perceptive, and ignoring the elephant in the room doesn’t protect them, acknowledging their feelings does.
Make it easier -> Make a small album with specific photos the night before and limit the activity to that handful of photos. A must if you are strapped for time.
Make it harder -> Print out a few photos leaving space on the paper to write. Ask your child to write about the photos or have them dictate what they would like to write and write it for them.
Sing If You Are Happy And You Know it… with a twist.
This is one of my favorite ways to talk to children about emotions.
If you are happy, and you know it clap your hands
If you are happy, and you know it clap your hands
If you are happy, and you know it, then your face will surely show it
If you are happy, and you know it clap your hands.
Now replace happy with different emotions:
Mad – cross your arms.
Frustrated – stomp your feet.
Excited – jump up and down.
Sad – make a frown
Scared – hide your face.
Print out the song for free here.
As you sing the song, ask your child to mimic your facial expressions and guess what emotion you are trying to show them.
Make it easier –> Focus on just a few feelings like mad and sad.
Make it harder –> Ask your child if there are emotions that the song doesn’t include. What would they add? Can they make a face or use body language to express that emotion?
Big Project Ideas for the Weekend
Working parents may have more time during the weekend. Here are some longer projects you might like to try.
Build a fort
Make an emotions book
Play charades
Make a sticker wall ( then you can use it all week long next week!)
Craft something fun with my live videos.
Bed Time Reading Tips
Every week I include different ways to make your bedtime reading more focused on different skills, no matter what books you are using. This week I ask you to ask your child to try to find their initials at least once in every book you read. If this is too easy, try giving them a simple word to find like the or and. The best part of preschool at home is that you can stretch it out over the whole day, bedtime is school time!
Supplies Needed for the Weekly Preschool Plan
These supplies are what is needed for the Monday-Friday activities.
Please note that weekend craft ideas have their own supply lists in the linked post. This list includes affiliate links.
Playdough
Letter stamps and cookie cutters ( optional)
Stuffed animals
Measuring tape
Pencil
Family photos ( your phone camera roll is fine!)
Pad of paper / Post-it notes
Song Printable ( print out free here)
Optional Additional Preschool At Home Activities
Nature Cutting
Puzzle Hunt
Worm Painting
Button Letters
Playdough and shell prints
Lunch Break Learning Preschool Plans are purposefully simple, made for busy parents who need simple daily activities to keep their children learning without overwhelming their day. These activities are for you to browse if you have more time.
Katy Ross says
Thank you! These are so, so helpful
AARTI J KOTIAN says
Very informative
Nadine says
We did the stuff animal measuring activity and the girls asked to be measured. They then laid down in appropriate places with their animals. The one year old was a little squirmy, but they enjoyed it.
Danielle E Speed says
The weekly plans are incredibly helpful, thank you! Is there a way to sign up for them? Or is it best to check the westside each week? We sometimes get an email from her teacher, but it just refers to the site, not specifics! Thank you!
Anurag nautiyal says
Awesome blog.